Kooloobong Village:
Positive Education for the Tertiary Sector
A/Prof Lindsay G. Oades
Centre for Positive Psychology, MGSE
University of Melbourne
Consultancy started back here
Overview
AIM: To provide a rich organisational case
study to understand the application of positive
psychology and positive education
within a positive institution.
• Introduction to Kooloobong Village (KBV)
• The idea of a “positive residence”
• The “five enablers” underpinning the Live
Out Loud Program
• The evaluation process
KBV is a 553-bed student residential community located on the main
campus of University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia.
After undergoing an expansion from 200 beds in 2013, the name
‘Kooloobong Village’ was adopted and a commitment made to run the
facility as a “positive residence”.
A further 350 bed expansion is being planned.
Resident student leaders are employed to assist other student residents.
High levels of student involvement in operations
Over 30 nations represented
A sense of student living
Positive
Organisation
Positive
Psychology
Positive
Education
Positive
Residence
Key influences
What is Positive Education? (Learning Well)
Positive Education is the development of educational environments that enable the learner to
engage in established curricula in addition to knowledge and skills to develop their own and
others' wellbeing.
What is a Positive Organisation? (Managing Well)
A Positive Organisation is one who's leadership and management seek to enhance the use of
strengths, positive communication, positive emotions and positive relationships of all those
associated with the organisation. Positive institutions facilitate the development and display of
positive traits, which in turn facilitate positive subjective experience (Stansbury & Soneshein, 2012).
What is Positive Psychology? (Being Well)
Positive psychology is the science of optimal human functioning. It seeks to examine what is
right rather than what is wrong. The applications of this science seek to improve people's
wellbeing, both feeling good and functioning well.
The “Live Out Loud”
Program
Kookaburra as the
Patron bird
Kookaburra podium
“To provide an integrated framework to promote wellbeing
in multiple contexts, based on evidence”.
The Wheel of Wellbeing
Body
Mind
Spirit
People
Place
Planet
www.wheelofwellbeing.org
Wheel of
Wellbeing
Tree banding
Implicit and
Explicit
“To create a growth based coaching culture”
Training in coaching at KBV
• Cascade model- i.e. Managers and student leaders trained in coaching,
with view to ultimately develop a “coaching culture”
• Principles of Positive Psychology Coaching and Strengths Coaching
• Training includes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Boundaries and the fundamental perspectives of coaching
Listening skills and questioning skills
GROW
Roles of Reflection in Coaching:
• For the coachee
• For the coach
Supervision / Problem Solving
Positive Psychology and Coaching
Kooloobong Village Context – Challenges for Coaching
Intercultural Context
“To provide wellbeing promoting social activities”
Adapted to
develop
Wellbeing
Effectiveness
Indicator
Questionnaire
for all activity
planning
“To enable all to use and spot strengths”
Know, Use and Spot Strengths in Others
• Having a positive view of oneself (& others) is a cornerstone of
wellbeing
• The identification and use of strengths is one way to cultivate
this (in oneself & others)
• Residential life offers a unique opportunity to enhance
strengths (e.g. via “strengths spotting” exercises)
• KBV offers all new residents the opportunity to complete the
Realise2 and be debriefed by an accredited practitioner
• Strengths spotting is built into the student leader and resident
activities
• All student leader applicants complete a Realise2 as part of
their application and discuss it during interview
• Interpretation of university discipline protocols are done within
a strengths framework
“To enable people to regulate themselves”
BeIntent
Piloted for tertiary sector and
smartphone use at KBV
“Assisted self regulation”
International Advisory Committee
International Program Advisory Team
• Dr Afroze Anjum (Canada) - visited
2013
• Tony Coggins (UK) - visited January
2014 + February 2015.
• Dr Aaron Jarden (NZ) - to visit 2015
• Ms Sue Langley (Aus)- visited
November 2013.
• Dr Christopher Niemiec (USA) –
visited March 2013 + June 2014
• Dr Christian van Nieuwerburgh
(UK) - visited 2013
• Dr Tayyab Rashid (Canada) visited 2013
• Dr Steve Zollezzi (Australia) visited 2013
KBV program logic
• A program logic sets out what a project will do and how it will do it
• For KBV this is akin to the residence’s theory of change
• Organised around the goal of creating “a comprehensive and
sustainable program which promotes and enables lifelong
wellbeing for all people connected to KBV”
• Considers inputs, outputs (activities & participants), & desired
outcomes (across 3 years)
Kooloobong Village Positive Residence Program Logic
Outputs
Inputs
Resources
Strategic Commitment
1) UOW management and ASD
commitment to (a)
programming and (b)
evaluation
Activities
Wheel of Wellbeing framed
activities (5D Programming
Model)
Outcomes
Participants
Year 1 (2014)
Year 2 (2015)
Year 5 (2018)
Student leader training and
delivery of activities
Establish baseline of (a)
experienced wellbeing and (b)
residents’ knowledge of wellbeing
Benchmarking of baseline of (a)
experienced wellbeing and (b)
residents’ knowledge of wellbeing
Reputation as world leader in
positive student residences
UOW marketing involvement in
external and internal messaging
Positive student testimonials of
living in a positive residence
Observable “wellbeing artefacts”
when conducting walk through and
policy: including coaching culture,
strengths spotting and
unanticipated artefacts
Longitudinal and outcome research
commenced to demonstrated
empirical benefits
1) Realise 2 strengths profiles
Residents initiating and
participating in Realise 2
activities
Residents having knowledge of
personal strengths
Residents spotting strengths in
others
Lifelong impact as evidenced by (a)
alumni involvement in program and
(b) reports from alumni on
programs impact on life
2) Coaching of student leaders
Residents initiating the
coaching of other residents.
Residents having confidence and
knowledge of coaching techniques
Observable Coaching Culture
Pilot Be-Intent
Students report self-regulation from Secure additional funding for
Be-Intent
wellbeing programming.
2) Statement of Purpose and
Mission
ation:
anded university
dence part of
W Strategic Plan
ed for
erentiation of
V for marketing
poses
Goal:
A comprehensive and
sustainable program
which promotes and
enables lifelong
wellbeing, for all people
connected to KBV.
Financial Commitment
Student Leader & Staff Training
3) Be-Intent use
w attractive
ding facility
Industry Expertise
1) 3 year consultancy with
Sydney Business School
Wellbeing informed planning of
activities
Staff involvement in activities
Establish baseline of wellbeing
activity participation
Increase in wellbeing activity
participation
2) International Advisory Team
Ongoing Process Evaluation and
consultation
UOW Community
Tangible International Advisory
Board Involvement
Delphi Study completed on “what
constitutes a positive residence”
Community Engagement
Wellbeing informed planning of
activities.
Participation in focus groups
Utilisation of spaces as part of
programming
UOW Community
Physical Resources
Building interior decoration and
grounds development
Human Resource Commitment
1) Residents
2) Staff/Trainers
Live Out Loud Program of
resident activities
Influence on UOW programming
and environmental factors in
expanded residences
Implement signature KBV event
Established and renowned annual
signature event
Reinforce relationship between
grounds and Goal (Tree Bands)
Design, implement, reinforce
additional physical “wellbeing
artefacts”
Renowned as location (physical)
which fosters and enables
wellbeing.
Develop and Implement Live Out
Loud Scale for feedback on
activities, social cohesion and
environment
Positive Residence Web Presence
with explicit information on Positive
Residence per se
Staff involvement in activities
KBV has sustainable capacity to run
professional wellbeing centred
programming
Assumptions
(Theory of Change). Residents will participate and value wellbeing if program
presented to them in the right manner.
Secure additional funding for
wellbeing programming.
External Factors
Budgetary constraints, Strategic/Policy changes and staffing variations (number and
roles)
Evaluation
Focus - Collect Data - Analyse and Interpret Data - Report
What is the most significant personal change that has happened for you while at KBV?
Forthcoming Publication
Oades, L.G. & Spence, G.B. (in press).
Kooloobong Village: Positive Tertiary Education.
In Slade M, Oades L, Jarden A (eds) Wellbeing,
recovery and mental health, Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
For Further Information on KBV details
Contact Jodie Lawer on jlawer@uow.edu.au